idealistic
eye-dee-uh-LISS-tik
/ˌaɪdɪəˈlɪstɪk/
Guided by high principles or perfectionist ideals, often regarding how things ought to be rather than how they are.
Can be complimentary (praising nobility) or slightly critical (implying impracticality).
The story behind the word. Traced back to Plato’s philosophy of 'Ideas' or 'Forms'—the perfect realm of concepts that physical reality only imperfectly imitates.
Word relationships
- quixotic: Quixotic implies foolishly impractical idealism, while idealistic can be noble and achievable.
- visionary: Visionary stresses foresight and originality, while idealistic stresses high moral principles.
- pragmatic: Pragmatic focuses on practical, realistic, and immediate actions.
- cynical: Cynical believes people are driven solely by self-interest and scoffs at high ideals.
Commonly confused with
- ideological: Idealistic means striving for noble ideals; ideological means rigidly bound to a political dogma.
Word family
- idealist (noun): A person guided by ideals rather than practical considerations.
- idealism (noun): The practice of forming or pursuing ideals.
- idealize (verb): To regard or represent something as perfect.
Collocations
- idealistic youth
- idealistic vision
- highly idealistic
- purely idealistic
Idioms & expressions
- head in the clouds
- pie in the sky
Example sentences
- "The young activists put forward an idealistic proposal to eliminate poverty within a decade." Political Science
- "He remained idealistic throughout his career, refusing to sacrifice ethics for political expediency." Biography
Memory hook
An IDEAL-istic person searches for the IDEAL world. Chasing the ultimate ideal.
When not to use
Do not use to describe simple happiness; it specifically implies pursuing elevated principles.
Fun facts
- In philosophy, Idealism is also the theory that reality is fundamental mentally constructed.
Explore more words
visionary, principled, disillusioned, prescriptive, ritualistic, conscientious
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.